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Abstract

In 2013, Chinese students are the largest group of international students in the United States, with over 230,000 Chinese students comprising more than 28% of America's international student population. One common assumption is that Chinese international students are not integrating with their host campus communities. This study examines two key areas in Chinese student campus integration: involvement in organizations and friendship network patterns. In particular, the influences of perceived English language ability and perceived cultural understanding of the United States are explored, along with their correlations with involvement and social networks. Chinese student involvement and friendships with the American host population are also compared to overall satisfaction with their university experience and their sense of belonging at the institution. Results are based on three original research questionnaires that were administered to 74 first-year Chinese international students at the University of Kansas in the United States over the course of one academic year. The data also includes in-depth interviews with 15 of these students. Previous studies suggest that English language and cultural understanding influence student involvement. However, this study found that neither perceived English language ability nor perceived cultural understanding of the United States correlated with Chinese student participation in campus organizations or the number of friendships made with Americans. However, despite the lack of direct correlation, both variables were shown to influence the types of engagements that Chinese students have with organizations and their American peers. Participants in this study demonstrated relatively low levels of involvement with campus organizations and significantly fewer friendships with American students than with fellow Chinese students. Despite this, participants still demonstrated an overall contentment with their American university experience and showed a sense of belonging at their institution. One explanation for this could be that the Western cultural lens and assumptions often used to observe international student integration are culturally biased and, therefore, incomplete. This study suggests that Western notions of campus involvement and engagement might not fully translate to students from non-Western backgrounds.